Comings and Goings
by angel-junkie
Summary: Third in the ‘We’re All Good’ series. “He made me this promise…” she sniffed. LAST ONE OF THE SERIES! 'M' just incase... And we're now complete
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Comings and Goings

SUMMERY: Third in the '_We're All Good_' series. "He made me this promise…" she sniffed. LAST ONE OF THE SERIES!!!

DISCLAIMER: You know that river in Egypt? Not only is it a river, it's also a state of mind. I'm writing, so therefore I own. That's how it works, right? (Seriously, I own six seasons… on DVD!!)

A/N: This is the last one. Then it's on to new things… possibly JavaJunkie related, possibly not. You'll just have to stick with me and find out!

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Chapter 1

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Lorelai felt fat. She felt huge. She now knew how Sookie had felt before she had Davey. It wasn't that Lorelai hadn't known then, she just didn't remember clearly. Now she did. She hated fat. She loved eating it in her burgers and whatever, but when she felt it, she hated it.

And that's how she felt. Fat.

She was sick of sitting on her couch watching movies, all day every day. Not even Molly Ringwood could make her feel better. Besides, she'd watched _Pretty In Pink_ so often since she'd been told 'no working!' and 'bed rest!' that the DVD didn't play properly anymore.

And Luke refused to hire it for her, saying she should watch something different, that didn't have her quoting lines until she was in bed asleep.

But, even in her sleep, he sometimes heard it.

Pouting and huffing in frustration, she slowly pushed herself up off the couch and waddled down the hall to the kitchen. She pulled the fridge open and huffed again. There wasn't anything she would ever remotely want in there. It was all healthy. That apple-craving thing went away with her morning sickness when she moved into her second trimester.

She wanted food that would make Luke's face scrunch up in disgust and bring out an 'it'll kill you one day' rant. She wanted coffee. She wanted pizza. She _really_ wanted to have these kids outta her right now!

And, to top off everything, not a single snowflake had fallen.

"Just two more weeks of this, Paul Anka, and it'll be sleepless nights and endless diaper changes," she muttered to her beloved dog as she waddled back to the couch with a bottle of water.

She had just cracked the top when she felt it. That unmistakable cramp in her side that could only mean one thing.

It was time.

"Luke!" she shouted, pushing herself up off the couch again. "Luke!" she called again. "I swear to God…" she started, when she heard his heavy footsteps walking along the hall above her.

"What are you doing off the couch?" he asked, halfway down the stairs.

She looked up at him, her face contorted in pain. "Honey, its time." she whispered, holding her side.

Luke's eyes widened. "Okay. I'll be right back." he said, and turned and dashed back up the stairs. He grabbed her hospital bag off the dresser and rushed into the nursery where he and April had been adding the finishing touches to the cribs.

"Lorelai's gone into labour. Will you be right here on your own, or do you want to come with?" he asked, out of breath.

April grinned. "I wanna come with. Go get her in the car and I'll be down in a sec." she said, dropping the paintbrush in the water and putting the top back on the little can.

Luke nodded and hurried back down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He found Lorelai halfway down the front stairs, hand gripping the rail. "Here." he murmured, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and tugging gently so she leaned into him. Together they made it down the stairs in one piece.

He had just got her to the car when April came flying out. "I've got Rory on the phone. She wants to know which hospital you'll be at."

"Hartford Memorial. What about her work?"

April nodded. "She's got a couple of days off. They're going to Hartford Mem. Uh-huh. See you there." April flipped her phone shut and looked at her dad and stepmother. "She's gonna get the next flight out and meet us there later. Anyone else you want me to call?" she asked as she slid into the middle of Luke's front bench seat.

Lorelai looked at Luke. "My parents."

April nodded and found their number in Lorelai's cell, before typing the digits into her own.

Barely a minute later, were they on their way to the hospital.

_And we're off... lol. Please review?_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey, **Sarahb2007**, do you love me!? I didn't jump. I'm going through with the labour. There may be a jump later - sorry._

_Anyway... enjoy! Jess._

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Chapter 2

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"Urgh." Lorelai groaned and threw her head back onto the pillow.

She had been lying there for nearly ten hours. There doctor and nurses all told her there was nothing they could do to make this go quicker, but if the pain was too much, they could give her some Demerol.

Lorelai had taken one look at Luke's face and 'politely' accepted.

"Is she still here? Has it happened yet?" asked Rory, rushing into the waiting room.

April looked up from her book and shook her head. "Nope. But she's handling it well. The Demerol they gave her about an hour ago quietened her down. Now she's only swearing like a sailor at work."

Rory snorted. April had been witness to Lorelai's birth stories once or twice too often. "Are my grandparents here?" she asked, calming down.

She had a bit of time now she knew Lorelai hadn't popped. She didn't feel the need to have every question answered in a second.

And she could stop panicking.

April nodded. "Yeah, they went for a walk. Something about a bathroom and coffee break. I wasn't listening; reading _Harry_ for the thirtieth time is exciting."

Rory's lip twitched. She knew April didn't really like Emily, and she could understand that. It wasn't until she found out that Lorelai was pregnant again that she properly accepted Luke.

So, Luke's illegitimate child (who, she blamed for their failed relationship in the first place) was still a bit of a stretch for Emily Gilmore.

Richard, however, loved April nearly as much as he loved Rory.

"Thanks. I'm gonna go in and see my mom and Luke. You wanna come?" she asked, tilting her head to the door.

April nodded. "Yeah. And while your grandmother's not here, I might actually be allowed to talk."

"That bad?"

April nodded. "Yeah. Every time I opened my mouth when we were all in there before she found something else to ask Lorelai about. She's mean."

Rory nodded sympathetically. "Maybe that's why you and mom get on so good. Neither of you like her."

April shrugged. "Could be that you're mom's great. And I'm awesome."

Rory laughed at the young teen as she pushed open the door. "Yeah, that too. Hey, mom." she said, smiling at her mother.

"Rory! My baby! You're here! You made it! Now you will properly understand my birthday story."

Rory shook her head. "Not gonna be in there when it happens, mom. Sorry." she replied, kissing Lorelai's forehead. "Hey Luke." she added, looking up and moving around the bed to give him a half-hug.

"Hey, Rory. Where are Emily and Richard?"

Rory and April's eyes met and they shrugged. "Weren't out there when I got here, and April was reading when they left. They could be _anywhere_."

"Rory!" came a deep voice from the door.

"Hey, grandpa." she said, moving back to the other side of the bed and hugging her grandfather. "Grandma." she said, slightly tersely.

She had made a pact with herself that until Emily could be nice to April, she would treat her grandmother the way her grandmother treated her little sister. Cause, you know, sisters looked out for each other like that.

Especially big sisters.

As they stood there, Lorelai's face contorted with pain again, and she grunted. "Oh, God." she murmured and grabbed at Luke's hand.

Rory took one look at her mother's expression and paled. "Oh, I gotta get outta here." she muttered, and grabbed April's arm, dragging her sister as she left the room.

"I'll get a nurse," announced Richard, following Rory and April faster than he thought he could ever move.

Emily stood there, watching Luke trying to comfort his wife. "I'll go help Richard," she whispered, turning on her heal and exiting the room.

Lorelai wasn't sure if she felt annoyed or glad that her mother didn't want to stay in the room. When she had been in labour with Rory, Emily tried her hardest to be in that damn room.

Lorelai guessed it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't sixteen anymore. She was a grown adult, with a husband and a stepdaughter. Not to mention her own grown-up daughter who was working interstate following around a big shot Politician.

As the pain subsided, she looked up at Luke with a small smile. "This is it." She whispered, as another wave of pain crashed through her.


	3. Chapter 3

_Still no skipping... Gotta love that!_

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Chapter 3

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The waiting room was filled with those who Lorelai and Luke loved. There was, of course, Rory and April, sitting next to each other just inside the door. They were sitting silently; every few minutes they would look at each other, then at their watches then at each other again, then go back to staring blankly at the wall.

Emily sat on the other side of April, listening to the quiet words that she and Rory occasionally shared. It had taken her a while, but it wasn't until this exact moment that she realised that April loved Lorelai as much as everyone else. She wasn't after anything; she just wanted to spend time with her dad, and step-mom and stepsister.

Richard paced. He'd worn the proper shoes for it this time. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he walked back and forth in front of Emily, April and Rory. Every so often he would catch Emily's eye and they would share a small, slight smile, before the pacing would continue.

Sookie and Michel had arrived about an hour after Rory. Michel muttered about how annoyed he was to be there, but every time he opened his mouth, Sookie and Rory could both see that he didn't really mean it.

Sookie was excited. It was finally her turn to play aunt. Sure, she had played aunt to Rory for nearly her whole life, but Rory was all grown up now. Talking baby talk to Rory just produced a bemused smile from the young woman.

And then, finally, an hour and a half after Sookie and Michel arrived, Luke came staggering out of the delivering room and into the waiting room. They all looked up at him expectantly and were slightly worried when he didn't say anything for nearly a full minute.

And then a small smile crept across his features. "They're here. She did it. A boy and a girl. Charles William Gilmore-Danes and Katherine Emily Gilmore-Danes."

April and Rory looked at each other excitedly, then got up and ran over to Luke, hugging him tightly.

"Can we see her yet?" asked Rory.

Luke nodded. "Sure. Go ahead."

And Rory and April were gone.

Luke looked around the rest of the room. Richard was first to move. "Congratulations, son." He said, offering Luke his hand.

Luke smiled and took it. "Thanks, Richard."

Michel hung back, pretending to not care, but Sookie knew. After all the years she and Lorelai had become pretty good at reading the often surly French-man. She followed in Rory and April's shoes and hugged Luke tightly. "I'm going to call Babbette or Miss Patty." She said, stepping back and pulling out her cell phone and heading for the door.

Michel nodded once and followed Sookie out.

Then Luke was left alone with Emily and Richard. Richard stood back against the back wall, watching quietly. Emily had sat in her seat while everyone else congratulated the happy father, now she couldn't hold back anymore. There was no one else there to offer congratulations before her; she had to bite the bullet.

Slowly, she stood up and smoothed the front of her pants down. Not that there was anything wrong with them, they _were_ Emily Gilmore's pants. They had been pressed to perfection and the only thing that could crease them was the washing machine water.

She looked over at her son-in-law. He wasn't her first choice for her daughter, but he was the one her daughter had chosen. She still thought Lorelai would be better off with someone from her world, someone like Christopher, but she could now see how much he meant to Lorelai, and how much Lorelai meant to him.

And her daughter was happy, and that was all she ever really wanted.

"Congratulations, Luke." She breathed.

Luke nodded. "Thank you, Emily. Do," Luke took a breath. "Do you want to see them? I mean, would you like to go now? Before you see Lorelai, or do you want to wait?"

Emily looked up at Luke. Her eyes swimming in unshed tears. She nodded and smiled softly. "Yes. Yes I would."

Luke nodded and returned her soft smile. "What about you Richard?"

Richard nodded vehemently. "Oh, yes!" he said and followed the two of them out of the waiting room and down the hall.

They stood at the window of the nursery and looked in at all the little babies. "Uh, that's Charles over there." Luke said, pointing at a baby wrapped tightly in a blue blanket.

"He's beautiful. Where did you get Charles from?"

Luke nodded. "He has Lorelai's eyes. They're the brightest blue. And so big. And we named him after your dad. He was going to be William, after my dad. But then we decided that as my middle name's William, we'd keep the tradition going." They watched as Charles wriggled around, and then Luke's eyes sought out his daughter. "And that's Katherine, right there." He said, pointing to a pink blanket wrapped baby to Charles's left.

Emily sighed. "She's… wow."

Luke smiled. He had never seen Emily Gilmore speechless, and the effect was the same as if it were Lorelai. Luke's smile grew as his daughter opened her eyes. "They're dark brown, almost black. Lorelai said they were your eyes." He said, turning to his mother-in-law.

Emily nodded. "Yes. My mother had those eyes too. What did you say their middle name's were?"

Luke chuckled. "William and Emily. Lorelai wanted Katherine to have your middle name, seeing as we named her after my mom."

Emily nodded and looked up at Luke, then at Richard. "They're perfect."

Luke smiled. "They are pretty good, aren't they?" he asked proudly looking at his children. His and Lorelai's children. He had dreamed of this day ever since their first date all those years ago.

"Mr. Danes?"

Luke turned around. "Yeah?"

"We're taking Charles and Katherine down to your wife's room, if you would like to follow us?"

Luke nodded and began to follow the midwife. As he went to turn the corner, his eyes fell back on Emily and Richard, standing next to each other talking quietly. "Emily? Richard?"

Emily looked away from her husband for a moment. "We'll be right behind you."

Luke nodded and turned back to follow the midwife.

"They really are perfect, Richard."

Richard nodded. "All three of Lorelai's children are perfect. And April just makes it all the better."

Emily nodded slowly. "Yes, she does."


	4. Chapter 4

_So, after the amazing reviews I recieved, I decided to go with what I originally had planned... So, in this chapter the twins are about a month old. As much as I love babies, it's too hard to write about them and keep the story flowing. There's only so much a one-month-old can do... After this, I'm skipping forward a few years, when the twins will be about 5 or so..._

_I deleated the **annoying** A/N chapter because it gets in the way of a good story (if I may say so myself), so nothing will be screwy and annoying and urgh!_

_Sorry about skipping, **sarahb**, but that's the way the cookie crumbles (lol, watched "Bruce Almighty" last night..). Anyway, enjoy!_

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Chapter 4

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Luke heard the fussing and grizzling even before he was fully awake. In the month since the twins had been home he'd become finely tuned to hear even the smallest whimper coming from the other rooms. He rolled over, ready to crawl out of bed, when he felt a soft hand on his back.

"I'll go." Whispered Lorelai.

Luke shrugged. "I'm awake."

"Charlie wants to be fed and, as much as it would amuse me to watch you try and breast feed him, I'm afraid I'm the one with the goods."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Lorelai, do you really have to talk like that?"

"Yes. It's four in the morning. My usually witty mind doesn't work as well. Go back to sleep."

Luke growled and shook his head. "I have to be up in forty-five minutes anyway."

Lorelai sighed and shrugged and swung her feet over the edge of the bed, waiting for Luke to get up and follow her down the hall to Charlie's bedroom.

"Why is it that Charlie wakes up during the night and Kate doesn't?" muttered Luke as he wrapped an arm around Lorelai's shoulders.

She smirked. "He's his father's son. When he wants it, he's gotta have it."

"More like he's mother's son: always hungry."

Lorelai poked her tongue out and gently picked the fussing baby up. "Hello my little hungry man. You want something to eat? Alright-y then, lets go." She walked over to the rocking chair and got comfy, before positioning the little boy and watching him suck away.

As she watched and smile grew on her face. "You know," she started, turning her eyes up to Luke's, who was standing behind her. "He looks like you when you're… you know."

Luke got a confused look across his face. "What?"

"When we're, you know, and you're, you know, you get the same look of concentration on your face. Father's son."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Thank God you don't say any of this in front of Babbette or Patty."

Lorelai looked back at her feeding baby and smirked. "Well…"

"You didn't."

"I was talking on the phone to Rory and Patty overheard."

"You tell Rory about that… stuff?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Not intimate details, but just small things like that. We were talking about the kid's personalities the other day. Like, how Charlie is all you and Kate is all me. And, well, it kinda came up. I didn't set out to tell her, if that's what you're worried about."

Luke just shook his head and continued to watch as his son was being fed. "He has your eyes." He murmured a little while later, when Charlie looked up at him.

Lorelai smiled softly. "No he doesn't. They're your eyes, Luke. The shape, the colour."

Luke cocked a head. "But they're so blue."

Lorelai shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You have blue eyes, too. And when you're really happy they go this bright. Like on our wedding day, or the night they were born. Sometimes when Taylor comes into the Diner they get really bright, especially when its time for another festival and you're in the mood for a fight with the silly old man."

Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Whatever."

Lorelai smiled. "He's done. You wanna take him?"

Luke nodded and held his hands out to his wife so he could take his son. "Hey, little man." He cooed as Lorelai rearranged herself and stood up.

"Luke, you old softy." She whispered, as she rested on hand on his shoulder and the other on her son's back.

"Don't you dare tell anyone."

She smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

XXX

Hours later Lorelai rolled out of bed again. She padded her way into the bathroom and flipped the handles on the shower, sending a rush of warm water cascading down as she stripped off her pajamas.

She stepped under the hot spray and tilted her head back so the water fell on her forehead and down her face. She groaned happily and started to wash her hair. She pulled the peach scented conditioner out of the shower caddy and massaged it into her hair as she hummed the tune to a U2 song.

"_Where the streets have no name._" She sang as she rinsed the conditioner out and squirted apple scented body wash into her hand.

When she was done she stepped out and gathered her bathrobe off the floor and flung it around herself and stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She wandered over to her chest of drawers and pulled out some underwear, slipping the bathrobe off so she could shimmy into the undergarments, before pulling the warm robe back around her body.

The twins were a little over a month old and Lorelai had finally started to get her old body back. Luke had said he didn't care if she did or not, he loved her anyway, but Lorelai said she missed her little body and wanted to be able to share clothes with Rory again.

Luke simply rolled his eyes and went back to whatever it he had been doing.

She listened for a moment, trying to decide whether her children were upstairs and asleep or if they were downstairs annoying their father as he cooked breakfast. She had her fingers crossed for the second, because she loved to surprise Luke in the morning when he was being all fatherly and didn't know she was around.

It made her heart swell to know that he had once been the _anti-jam-hands, drop-another-sucker-in-this-mess_ guy, and that now one of his favourite moments was when one of the twins fell asleep lying on his chest.

Not to mention, how adorable they looked in her eyes when this happened.

_Lol, sappy Luke - LOVES IT!! Please review._


	5. Chapter 5

_I __apologise__ in advance for this very short chapter. You'll understand when it's done…_

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Chapter 5

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Lorelai loved days like this. When she was surrounded with all the people she loved most. She didn't even care that it was about 1000 degrees in the shade and that she was sweating like you wouldn't believe. She was just happy.

She sat under the big tree in the kid's wading pool that Luke had set up. Not that many of the kids were actually using it because she, Sookie, Rory and Lane had taken over it about an hour ago with the protests of "we're getting older!" She had to laugh at the looks of disappointment that crossed the kid's faces.

But, they seemed to be over now, thanks to Luke and Zach hunting down the old _Slip 'n' Slide_ that was hidden in a dark back corner of their garage.

She watched amused as Davey and Charlie raced down the lawn and dove headfirst onto the sheet. Charlie, being lighter, shot off the end first, much to the disgust of Davey, who frowned and pouted in such a way that anyone who didn't know them well would think that he was Lorelai's son.

She laughed along tipsily to the story Sookie was telling about Martha and Annie getting into a fight over a pair of pants that were clearly Martha's. Martha was tall and slim, like Jackson. Annie had inherited her mother's short legs and stocky frame.

"I am so glad that Rory and Kate will never go through that. There's twenty years between them. Kate might fit into stuff that was once Rory's, but that wont happen for a few years. And, Rory and I fought enough over clothes to last the Gilmore-Danes seventy lifetimes."

Sookie snickered. "Oh, I know. I remember one particular fight about bra sizes."

Lorelai shook her head, embarrassed as Rory laughed. "All over my bonding with grandpa. Seriously, mom, that would have had to been our stupidest fight ever."

Lorelai shrugged. "Honey, any fight we had was our stupidest fight ever. We were never meant to fight. It was always meant to be you and me against the world. Nothing was gonna stand in our way or bring us down."

The four woman continued talking and reminiscing for a while, when Lorelai heard the shrill ringing of the house phone. "Urgh. It's probably my mother wondering what to wear. Its summer, just come in shorts for crying out loud."

Rory, Lane and Sookie giggled and watched as Lorelai hauled herself out of the kiddy pool and past the bar-b-que. She ran a hand across Luke's back and quickly ran up the back steps and into the house.

"Hello?" she answered, trying desperately to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Hello. I'm after a Lorelai Gilmore-Danes?"

"This is she." She replied slowly, her antenna rising in suspicion. It wasn't her mother's voice on the other end. And everyone she knew would just ask for 'Lorelai'.

"There's been an accident…"


	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

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Lorelai stood there stunned. The lady on the other end continued to talk, but she didn't hear what was being said. It was like the part of her brain that turned noises into words and sentences had shut down. And perhaps it had. Perhaps that was how she dealt with hearing bad news.

"Ms. Gilmore?"

"Huh? What?"

"Do you want us to call anyone else?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Uh, no. Thanks. Um, what hospital did you say they were in?"

"Hartford Memorial."

"Thanks. I'll, uh, be there as soon as possible."

"Okay. Goodbye."

"Bye." Lorelai hit the end button on the cordless phone and held it to her chest. She was acutely aware of the fact that she had to go out and tell her guests that, sorry, the party's over. And then she was going to have to deal with all the questions. And while Lorelai loved talking, this was something that was going to prove difficult.

And what in God's name was she going to tell her children?

She put the phone back on the dock and turned to head out the door, when Luke walked in. He was muttering about something-or-other, but as soon as he saw his wife's face, he stopped.

"Lorelai?"

She looked up at him; her eyes swimming in unshed tears. "Its my mom and dad. They've… they were… there was an accident."

"Oh, God." He whispered, talking two strides and wrapping her in a tight hug. "Where are they?"

"Hartford Memorial. I… we… have to go."

Luke nodded. "I'll go and organize the kids and let everyone know what's going on. Do you want me to tell Rory, or do you wanna do that?"

Lorelai sighed and shifted her gaze around the room. "Um, I'll tell her. Just… just tell her to come in when you go back out there, okay? You know, tell Charlie and Kate to come in with her, and I'll tell the three of them at once."

Luke nodded. "Okay. I'll send them right in." he looked at her for a moment, before leaning in and kissing her forehead. "It'll be okay, Lorelai. You'll see."

She nodded as tears filled her eyes. "Oh, God, April!"

"What?"

"April. We're supposed to pick her up tomorrow morning."

Luke shrugged. "I'll call her from the hospital."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay. I'm just gonna… Oh, God. This is…" words left her as Luke stepped forward again and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I'll go tell Rory and the twins to come in, then I'll speak to everyone else."

Lorelai nodded and wiped a hand across her forehead and eyes. "Okay." She whispered and sank into a kitchen table.

Luke walked over to the backdoor and glanced at her briefly. She sat with her elbows resting on the table and her head in her hands. It hurt him to see her hurting so much, and honestly couldn't remember the last time she had looked so defeated. Not in all the years they had been married.

He fixed a determined look on his face and stepped out the door into the bright summer's sun. "Hey, Kate, Charlie, can you come here a minute?"

The kids looked over to him from where they were busy running around with Davey, Martha, Annie, Steve and Kwan. "Yeah." The replied in unison and dragged their feet as they walked over to their dad.

"Mommy needs to talk to you inside."

Rory turned around from pouring herself another drink. She had noticed the softness in Luke's voice and slowly drifted over. When Charlie and Kate had ran up the stairs she looked up at Luke. "Is everything okay?"

Luke looked down at her and saw the adorable 10-year-old he met all those years ago. It didn't matter that Rory was in her late twenties, he still saw the sad face of a girl who's first pet, albeit a caterpillar, had just died.

"Uh, I think you should go talk to your mom."

She shot him a worried look, and followed the path of her younger brother and sister into the house. "Mom?" she called, letting the backdoor swing shut behind her.

"Rory?"

"Yeah."

"Lounge."

"Okay." Rory wandered down the short hall to the lounge room to find Lorelai curled into a corner of the couch. Kate sat on her lap and Charlie sat next to her, his hand resting softly on Lorelai's free knee. Instantly Rory knew something bad had happened. She and Lorelai had always shared a freaky bond, a bond that only seemed to grow stronger the older they got. She could tell Lorelai was fighting back tears and her mind jumped to all the unpleasant happenings that could bring this on. "Mom?" she breathed out, sinking into the couch next to Charlie and dragging him onto her lap so she cold move closer to Lorelai. Their knees bumped comfortably and Lorelai very nearly lost it right then and there.

"I, uh, I just got a call from the hospital. Uh, Hartford Memorial. They, she, the woman who rang said that, uh, that there had been an accident…"

Rory stopped listening. She knew it could only mean one thing. Something had happened to her grandparents. "Mom?"

Lorelai took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She rubbed her hands up and down Kate's arms. "Grandma and grandpa are there. I'm not sure how bad it is, if its even bad, but they… the doctors want us to go."

Rory bit her lip. She knew if she started crying now, she wouldn't ever stop. And if she started crying, then Lorelai would start. And if Lorelai started, then Kate and Charlie would. And if the four of them started crying, then Luke would get flustered because one woman crying was bad enough, let alone his daughter, son, step-daughter _and_ wife all bawling at the same time.

"What does… what does this mean?"

Lorelai sucked in another breath. "Luke's telling Sookie and Jackson now. As soon as he comes back inside, we're going to go to the hospital."

Rory nodded and wrapped her arms around her little brother tightly. "Okay." She whispered. Slowly, her brain started to swing from 'shocked' to 'need-to-do-something'. "We should… we should get changed or something, right? I mean, we can't just go to the hospital in our bathers, can we?"

Lorelai smiled a watery smile. "Just put clothes on over them. Charlie, go with Rory and she'll help you get dressed, okay?"

Charlie nodded. He didn't really understand what was going on. He really wanted to stay with his mother and twin sister, but he knew that Rory would take good care of him. "Okay, mommy."

Rory picked him up as she stood up and carried him up the stairs with Lorelai following along behind, holding Kate.

They changed quickly and made it downstairs just as Luke came into the lounge. "Sookie and Jackson are gonna hang around and clean up a bit so we don't have to worry about it. Babbette and Moray took Davey, Martha and Annie to their place. Lane and Zach took their boys to Mrs. Kim's and will be back to help Kirk, Lulu and Miss Patty, who are gonna help Sookie and Jackson. Babbette and Moray also offered to watch Charlie and Kate, but I thought it would be best if they came with us. Oh, and they all told me to give you this," he wrapped and arm around Lorelai's shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her cheek.

Lorelai looked up at him and nodded.

"Are we all ready?" he asked.

Lorelai simply nodded again.

"Okay, lets go. We'll go in the jeep, there's more room."

Lorelai nodded again and silently followed after him. Rory came up beside her and reached out for her free hand.

Who said not knowing was a good thing?


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry for the lengthy delay. This will be the only story I'm updating for a while. Firstly, my computer has A.D.H.D. is refuses to work properly, so it's been while since I've been able to get onto the net long enough to post. We're getting a new one though, which brings me to my second reason for being such a sucky person: my sister has cancer. She's only recently been diagnosed, so I'm - well, my whole family - is still trying to deal with it all._

_Anyway, this story is finished. I just gotta post it. **Ten Years Time** and **Crazy Not To** are on hiatus until further notice. Sorry. And sorry about the delay. Hope you enjoy this chapter._

_Jess._

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Chapter 7

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The drive to the hospital was ridden in silence. Not even the radio was turned on. Lorelai sat in the passenger seat, staring unseeingly out the window. She was trying to keep her emotions in check and not let her thoughts get the best of her. She didn't want Charlie and Kate to see her too upset until she knew exactly what was going on.

She could feel Luke's gaze flick to her every few seconds, but she refused to meet his eyes, knowing as soon as she did she would see that soft, sympathetic look and break down. She wasn't ready to break down. She needed to know what was going on first.

Rory sat in the middle of the backseat between her brother and sister who were unusually quiet. They had Lorelai's knack for noise, but had seemed to realise that now was not the time for a ruckus. Rory was grateful for that. She knew her mother was struggling as it was, and if the twins decided to act up, then it would make everything harder.

Every so often Luke's gaze would flick to her in the rearview mirror. Once or twice she met his eyes and saw the worry there, but there was also a hint of determination, like Luke was going to stop any pain from hitting his family. She was grateful for this and idly wondered if her own father – Christopher – would be as supportive as Luke was in a crisis. Then she remembered when Richard had the heart attack in her senior year at Yale and how it had been Luke that did all the running around while Chris was off sulking about a fight he'd had with Lorelai.

As Rory thought about it more, she realised that Luke really was there for most, if not all, their low points. When she was sick, or her pet caterpillar died. When Richard had the angina attack not long after she started Chilton. Luke was there to help them in any way possible. Even if it was just the fact that they knew he was there, he was a huge comfort and she couldn't believe it had taken her so damn long to really realise it. She had always known that her and her mother held a special place in his heart, she had just never realised the enormity of it.

Before they knew it, they were pulling into the parking lot of the hospital. Luke climbed out of the jeep and quickly moved to the other side, to help Lorelai out. But she sat there, frozen. He pulled the door open and reached across her to unclip the seatbelt as Rory leant forward from the middle seat and flicked the lever that moved the driver's seat so she and the twins could climb out. Rory maneuvered herself across Kate and planted her feet on the ground, before turning to lift Kate and Charlie out. She placed them on the ground and took their hands, intending to head into the hospital to give Luke and Lorelai a moment to gather themselves before they were forced to be strong in front of the two five year olds.

After Luke unclipped the belt, Lorelai still sat in the same position. "Lorelai?" he asked quietly, dipping his head so he could look in her eyes.

Lorelai shook her head. "I just need a minute." She replied in a husky voice that reminded him of early mornings when the twins were babies.

"Okay." He nodded, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. He heard her sniffle and felt own resolve begin to crumble. "Lorelai?" he asked again, his voice gravelly with emotion.

Lorelai finally looked up. "I'm sorry. I'm just… scared. This is the third time dad's been in here and I can't get that saying out of my head. You know, _third time lucky_? Or, _the third time's a _charm, or whatever that stupid saying is. What if this is God's lucky day and it's the day I lose my dad? What if my mom dies? What if- "

Luke shook his head. "You can't think like that. Not until you know for sure. What if it's only a broken wrist or something like that? And you worked yourself up all for nothing? You don't know if either of them are injured badly, if at all. They may have just called you down here so you could take them home or something. Don't think bad things until you know for sure."

Lorelai nodded, sniffed, and wiped her eyes. "Okay." She croaked and offered him a watery smile. "I love you." She whispered, leaning forward and hugging him.

Luke smiled softly. "I love you, too. C'mon. Lets go in. Rory's already in there with Charlie and Kate."

Lorelai nodded and took Luke's hand as she climbed out of the car and pushed the door shut with her hip. Luke reached around her and locked the door with the keys and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, before he led her in the direction of the entrance.

XXX

They found Rory, Charlie and Kate waiting just inside the foyer for them in a row of hard plastic seats. Kate sat on Rory's lap, clinging tightly to her, while Charlie sat beside them doing his best to look tough and like the man of the family. As soon as Luke and Lorelai walked in both Kate and Charlie ran to their parents.

"Daddy, I don't like it here. It smells funny." Announced Charlie with a wrinkled nose.

The three adults shared a look and suppressed a laugh. Little Charlie sounded exactly like his dad.

"That's okay, little man. Hopefully we wont be here for too long."

Charlie looked to Lorelai, who nodded her head in agreement. "Let's go find grandma and grandpa, huh?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the delay, but my computer is comstantly being a pain in the ass. It has a tendency to reset itself at the worst times. Not to mention the fact that every second weekend I'm in Melbourne visiting my sister at the hospital... Anyway, everything's looking good on the sister front at the moment. And our new computer is only a matter of days away... Hopefully.**

**Enjoy this chapter and I promise to do my best to update more frequently. Fingers crossed I actually can!!**

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Chapter 8

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They wandered the halls aimlessly before both Luke and Rory had talked Lorelai into talking to a nurse at one of the stations. She had protested, saying that there should be some connection; she was their daughter after all. Luke simply rolled his eyes, having heard this all before, while Rory frowned and stated that she didn't care about blood connections, she wanted to know for sure.

Rory walked purposefully up to a nurse's station and requested the location of Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore. The nurse tapped a few keys on the computer and looked back up at Rory. With a falsely sad face, she replied, "I'm sorry, I can only give that information to family."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I know _that_. I'm their eldest granddaughter. That's their daughter over there with their two other grandchildren and son-in-law." Rory pointed over her shoulder where Lorelai and Luke were trying to keep the kids occupied.

The nurse opened her mouth to reply but caught one look at the fierce expression on Rory's face and turned her eyes to the screen. "Uh, they're still on the fifth floor. The nurses up there will know more. I can call ahead and let them know you're coming, if you like?"

Rory nodded curtly. "Thank you. That would be great." She offered the nurse a tight smile and headed back to Lorelai, Luke and the twins and told them what the nurse said.

Lorelai and Luke shared a look and followed Rory to the elevator. Things couldn't be good if only one floor of nurses knew what was going on, could they?

XXX

The elevator doors opened and the Gilmore-Danes family were greeted by the sound of Emily Gilmore in near hysterics. "…Husband! We've been married for over forty years, don't you think that qualifies me to receive information on him!?"

Luke looked at Lorelai, who barely managed to suppress an eye roll. Rory actually snickered, before the reality of what Emily said sunk in. If Emily couldn't get information about his condition, what exactly did that mean for Richard's health?

They followed the sound of Emily's voice until they rounded a corner and found her standing in a very similar position to all those years ago. This time, however, Emily looked, if possible, more harassed than she had that night two weeks before Christmas.

"Mom!" Lorelai called, handing Kate to Rory and jogging the short distance to where Emily stood.

"Lorelai? You're here." Emily sighed and seemed to relax slightly at the sight of her daughter and family.

"Of course I'm here. I got a call. What happened?" Emily's gaze lingered slightly on her three grandchildren. Clearly she didn't want to speak in front of them, especially the youngest two.

"Here." Luke muttered, holding out his free arm to take Kate off Rory.

"Sure?" she asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. I'll come back in a minute or two, okay?" he asked, shifting his gaze from Rory to Lorelai.

She nodded slightly and moved to kiss the twins. "See you soon, okay. Be good for daddy."

They nodded and kissed Lorelai back, before holding on tightly to their father. Luke locked eyes with his wife and offered her a small smile, before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "Won't be long." He whispered and walked off down the hall in search of a bathroom or something that would entertain the two five-year-olds he was holding.

Lorelai watched the threesome head off down the hall. "What happened, mom?" she asked, sounding a lot harsher than she intended. Internally she cringed as she waited for the barrage of words that were sure to fly from Emily's mouth. But the didn't come and Lorelai realised for the first time in a long time that her mother was old.

"Mom?" she asked, stepping forward and gingerly placing a hand on her mom's shoulder.

Emily looked between her daughter and granddaughter. "Oh, it was horrible." She sighed, moving to the left and sinking into a seat.

Lorelai shot Rory a look and they slipped into seats on either side of the eldest Gilmore girl.

"What happened?" Lorelai asked again, this time softer.

Emily took a deep breath. "Well, as you know, we were coming to your house for the party. We were just taking off from the lights when this, this, this _car_ came speeding around the corner and slammed right into the driver's side. There was a horrible screeching noise, like metal being torn away. The next thing I know, I'm pressed up against the passenger door and the horn is blowing the one flat, monotonous tone. I managed to push the door open and pull myself out. Thankfully, we weren't the only ones on the road and someone had already called the ambulance."

Rory stared down at her feet, her eyes swimming with tears. It didn't sound good.

"What about dad?" asked Lorelai hoarsely.

Emily drew in another deep breath. "I have absolutely no idea. Nobody has told me anything. We got rushed into the E.R. and after they checked me over they told me to come up here and wait, because this is where he'd come once they'd finished working on him. I don't even have any idea what floor it is."

"The fifth."

"Oh, I know that. I mean, I don't know why he would be brought to this floor specifically. Why not the tenth floor?"

"That's maternity. I was on that floor when I had the twins. And Rory." Answered Lorelai quietly.

"Well, why not the sixth floor, then?"

"That's the floor he was on when he had the heart attack when me and Christo… before the twins were born."

Lorelai and met Rory's eyes across Emily's head. She could tell, just by looking at her daughter, that they were thinking the same thing. The fifth floor was where the ICU was. Lorelai could actually see the doors down the end of the hall. She briefly wondered if she should tell her mother, but then realised that it would probably send Emily over the edge and into complete hysterics.

Emily frowned and sighed and eventually leant back into her seat. "I just hate not knowing what's going on." She finally admitted silently.

Lorelai took her hand gently. "I know, mom. We all do."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Second last chapter. Sorry for delays, but I'm getting better. Maybe I'll get around to finishing my other stories? Maybe our new computer will come so I CAN!_**

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Chapter 9

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Lorelai leant her head against Luke's shoulder and sighed tiredly. They had been there for nearly two hours, and still there was no word on her father. Several doctors had rushed past, talking about heart rates and brain functions, but nobody could tell them if it had anything to do with her dad.

Rory had taken the twins for a walk. They were getting restless and bored. Lorelai could understand that. _She_ was getting restless and bored and she was in her forties. How was a five-year-old supposed to cope?

It was the not knowing that was killing her. Killing all of them. She could have dealt if the damn doctors would just tell them _something_. Anything. It didn't have to be the full details, just "he's having surgery to fix this" or "we've got him hooked onto the machine to monitor that". But there was nothing.

As she sat, she could see her mother out of the corner of her eye, sitting ramrod straight, her eyes fixed and staring at a spot on the wall. Lorelai had never seen her mother sit so still. She was normally flipping pages of a magazine, or book, or something, organizing this and that and trying to decide what new sheet set she should buy.

But a silent and frozen Emily was so out of the ordinary that Lorelai thought maybe, just maybe, her mother knew something she didn't.

And, of course, she couldn't talk to her about it because the Gilmores never talk about anything painful because that'd be, well, _painful_. And far be it for Emily to share her worries with Lorelai when it concerned something they were both worried about.

If it had been one of Lorelai's children in the hospital, Emily would be all over it. Demanding to know what was going on. But she just sat there. Still. Silent.

That scared Lorelai more than anything.

XXX

Rory returned carrying a sleepy Kate, Charlie clinging to the leg of her pants.

"Mommy." He whined, running over and crawling onto Lorelai's lap.

"Hi-ya, baby." She whispered in reply, kissing his brown hair that reminded her so much of Luke. "Where'd you go?"

Charlie yawned before replying. "Wory found a room with a TV and a PlayStation so me and Katie played on that for a bit. And then Katie got bored of the game, so she went and sat wif Wory and they read and then I went with them and then Katie felled asleep."

Lorelai nodded and looked at her youngest daughter, now clinging tightly to her dad. Her bright blue eyes were sparkling in the way that Lorelai knew meant tears were coming and she offered her little girl a pout.

"When can we see grandpa, mommy?" she asked in a tiny voice.

Lorelai sighed and looked at Luke. She hated lying to her children, but she didn't know what else to tell them. "Soon, I hope."

Kate yawned widely and nodded. "Me too." She buried her head into the flannel of Luke's chest and drifted off again.

"You try and get some sleep, too, sweets." She whispered into her son's hair.

He nodded and was soon drifting off, too.

The twins had barely been sleeping for fifteen minutes when a doctor came over. "Hi, I'm Doctor Jones. Are you Mrs. Gilmore?" he asked, looking at Emily.

Emily nodded slowly. "Yes. I am. This is my daughter, Lorelai and her husband Luke and my granddaughter, Rory. Do you have news?"

Lorelai and Rory met each other's gaze. The usual fight and spark was gone from Emily. She seemed flat, like she hadn't had enough coffee.

Dr. Jones nodded. "Yes. Your husband will be sent up here shortly. You'll be able to see him, but we really need to have a discussion about the best way to go from here. I'm sure you realise your husband was badly injured in the accident?"

Emily nodded.

"Well, we have done surgery to try and repair what damage we could, but he was, uh, injured pretty badly. He has six broken ribs, a broken wrist and leg, a punctured lung and his heart stopped on the way in here. Currently, he is on life support and we can keep him alive for a few more hours so you can decide what you want to do, but, in my opinion, it think its best if you each get a few minutes to say goodbye."

Emily's eyes glazed over and she seemed to process what the doctor said slowly.

"I'll, uh, come and get you when he's here."

Emily nodded absentmindedly as the doctor shot sympathetic looks at Lorelai, Rory and Luke, before turning and heading down the hall towards the elevator.

It wasn't until then that Emily Gilmore let a tear slip down her cheek and she spoke the first words in nearly half an hour. "He made me this promise…" she sniffed.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey! Another update for another story. Sorry it's taken so friggen long, but life has to be lived, you know? Anyway, this is the last chapter of this story. It's probably not as good as it could be, had I actually thought about it better, but I think it goes alright. It could be worse, and thank God it isn't... Anyway, hope you enjoyed this story, and the ones that came before it. Cheers for all the reviews and the love and the patience. If you had any. Me, I don't. If I were readign this story, I woulda cracked the shits long ago. But, enough about me. Please read._

_Some dialogue borrowed from _(1x10) Forgiveness and Stuff.

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Chapter 10

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"He made me this promise…" she sniffed.

"…_Richard Gilmore, there may be many things happening in this hospital tonight but your dying is not one of them." She stated firmly._

"_But –"_

"_No! I did not sign on to your dying. And it is not going to happen. Not tonight, not for a very long time. In fact, I demand to go first. Do I make myself clear? _

"_Yes Emily. You may go first…"_

Lorelai looked at her mother and for the first time in years she realised her mother and father were really in love. Not that she hadn't thought it before. She knew, simply from the way they always backed each other up when she was fighting with them as a teenager and a child. But it wasn't until that very moment that she realised her parents shared the same love that she herself shared with Luke.

She knew how she'd feel if Luke was to die so suddenly, and instantly she felt even worse for her mother. Because, to Emily, losing Richard would be the same as Lorelai losing Luke.

Lorelai had always imagined her parents would live forever. She would be long dead and buried when her parents finally kicked the bucket, but now that nightmare seemed to be ending and a new one beginning.

She was going to have to say goodbye to her father once and for all.

She had always been closer to her father than her mother. He tended to leave her be. Let her do what she wanted as long as she left him alone. She knew she had used and abused that trust he had in her the first time she climbed out the window and got drunk. But there wasn't a chance in hell she was going to ask _them_ for permission to go to a senior's party at the tender age of 13.

She doesn't remember much of that night after hitting the ground under the tree.

They had been sitting for ten minutes when the doctor came back and told them to take as long as they needed.

Lorelai looked to Luke and they decided to take Charlie and Kate in first. Prolonging it would only make it harder to explain to them.

"Grandpa?" asked Charlie as they stepped through the swinging door.

Lorelai nodded and sniffled. "Yeah, that's grandpa."

"When's he gonna wake up?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "He's not, baby."

"Why?" asked Kate, speaking for the first time in hours.

"Cause he's really sick."

"Why?"

Lorelai looked to Luke for help. He was holding Charlie in one arm and tugged on Kate's hand with the other. "Remember when I told you about my dad? Pop William?"

The twins nodded.

"Well, it's a bit like that. Grandpa and Pop William are gonna be seeing each other soon."

"Is grandpa dead?" asked Kate with wide eyes. She was a lot like Rory and April. She was very smart for her age.

Luke shook his head. "Not yet, but he will be soon."

"But he'll be okay, right? Pop William will look after him?"

Even though none of his kids had ever met William Danes, they all insisted on calling him 'Pop William'. Even Rory, who wasn't even related by blood to the man, called him that.

Luke smiled. "Yeah, Pop William will look after him."

Charlie and Kate looked at each other and seemed satisfied with Luke's explanation. "Can we give him a hug bye like after dinner?" asked Kate in a small voice.

Lorelai smiled softly. "Of course you can, honey. Here." She held her hands out to the little girl and lifted her onto the bed.

Kate looked down at her grandfather. He had always seemed so big, like her dad. But lying there with the bandages made him look so small. Even to her. She looked across at her twin brother, who her dad had just placed on the other side of the bed and offered her hand to him. Charlie took her hand and together they leant forward and kissed Richard's cheeks. "Bye-bye, grandpa. We'll miss you." They whispered in unison and sat up.

Lorelai quickly swiped the tears from her face and picked Charlie up, then moved and lifted Kate to her other hip. "C'mon. Let's give daddy a moment to say goodbye." She kissed Luke's cheek and stepped out of the room.

Luke stared down at the man that he had known for almost ten years. Both of them were men of very few words, especially when it came to each other, but they had long ago reached an understanding. Sometime, probably around the time that Rory went to Iowa, Richard had come to realise just how important the diner man was to his daughter and granddaughter. While things were never sunshine and flowers with them, Richard seemed to realise that Luke would never hurt either Gilmore girls.

Frowning and wringing his hands, Luke worked his jaw. He hated this part. The actual saying 'goodbye' part. He was the same when his father died, though, granted, that felt a hell of a lot worse. "Mr. Gilmore. Uh, Richard. I promise you I will look after them forever. The Gilmore-Danes girls, and the Gilmore girls, and I guess the Gilmore-Danes boy, will never be left wanting. I will do everything in my power to give them whatever they need. Whatever they want. Forever."

Luke bowed his head and silently prayed that his father was up there watching, taking in Richard's appearance so he could look out for him so they could watch the giant Lorelai and Luke screens. And maybe Richard could tell William a little bit about his grandchildren.

Luke walked out of the room with his jaw clenched and his eyes set on Lorelai. She could see from his expression that he was struggling just as much as the rest of them and seeing her father like this was probably bringing back memories of his own father.

He walked over and placed a supporting hand on Rory's shoulder as she got up to enter the room.

She was in there for a full five minutes before she came out with silent tears streaming down her face. Luke wanted nothing more than to hug his stepdaughter, but couldn't move as he had two sleepy and upset five-year-olds resting on his lap. Lorelai turned just as Rory reached out to throw her arms around her mother. They embraced for a few minutes, when Rory pulled back and offered her mother an encouraging smile.

Lorelai nodded and squared her shoulders; a move Luke and Rory knew meant she was setting herself. She walked into the room and looked at her father. For the first time since she told them she was pregnant, her father looked small. He looked like any other person, and not at all like the father she had known all her life.

She took hold of his closest hand and took a deep breath. "I know you can't hear me, dad, but I just want to say I'm sorry for everything I put you through as I was growing up. I want you to know that, even if you hadn't told me, I knew your middle name was Charles, and when Luke suggested it as a first name for our son, I couldn't believe it. And now, a part of you will live on. In me, in Rory, in Katherine and in little Charlie. The three of them are so much like you, and I'm proud to say that I am the daughter of Richard Charles Gilmore. I always have been and I always will be.

Thank you for everything you did for me. If it weren't for you, Rory wouldn't be where she is today, and for that I am forever grateful. I love you and will miss you more than you will ever know."

She paused and cleared her throat and wiped away her tears. "Goodbye, daddy." She finished in a whisper. She leant forward and kissed his cheek and backed out of the room.

Lorelai avoided everyone's eyes as she walked out, preferring to turn left and away from everyone to collect herself. She heard her mother go in and it wasn't until then that she could face her family. The Gilmore-Danes'.

Emily had only been in the room for five minutes when the doctor came back. "I'm sorry, but its time." He said quietly to them all and tapped lightly on the door before slowly pushing it open.

He waited until Rory, Lorelai, Luke, Kate and Charlie were in the room before he moved to the machines that were keeping Richard alive.

They stood around the end of his bed, Emily at his side gripping his left hand with her right. Lorelai stood next to her, one arm wrapped around her mother's shoulders; the other around Rory's, who was holding onto Kate's hand. Luke stood next to Rory with Charlie in his arms. His arm snaked over Rory's shoulders and rested across them, lightly gripping Lorelai's shoulder.

Soft sniffles were heard as Doctor Jones methodically switched off all the machines, the last one was the heart rate monitor. The room lapsed into silence as Richard Gilmore died peacefully, surrounded by all who were most important to him.

_The End._


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